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Man arrested over suspected rat poison in stray cat food at Kowloon park

Police have arrested a 34-year-old man who allegedly mixed rat poison into food left for stray cats in a Kowloon park and was found in possession of a knife. The force said it received a report at around 3.30am on Saturday that a man was suspected of putting poison in cat food that animal welfare volunteers had placed near tennis courts in Shek Kip Mei Park. Officers arrived at the scene and…

Man arrested over suspected rat poison in stray cat food at Kowloon park

According to police, a 34-year-old man has been arrested in connection with allegations of mixing rat poison into food intended for stray cats in Kowloon Park. The incident is said to have occurred near tennis courts in Shek Kip Mei Park around 3.30am on Saturday. Police arrived at the scene and seized a packet of suspected rat poison and a fruit knife measuring approximately 14cm in length from the suspect.

Police stated that the man was arrested on suspicion of animal cruelty and possession of an offensive weapon, and is currently being detained for further investigation. This matter is being handled by the Sham Shui Po district crime squad.

Animal welfare volunteers first noticed suspicious activity involving the poisoning of food and water left for stray cats in the park last month. A social media user named pangxc15 installed a surveillance camera on a tree in the park, which helped him identify the suspect. The user reported seeing someone resembling the suspect around 3am every Saturday, pouring poison into food and water bowls.

Pangxc15 stated that they were unable to capture the suspect's face on camera during previous attempts, but managed to observe him on one occasion when he loitered for around 25 minutes near the area, setting poison in the vicinity. The user shared photos of tainted water and food, as well as a video of the suspect with a flashlight, in a post on social media.

Police confirmed that no cats were injured in this case.

Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.

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